The present invention generally relates to a system and a method for identifying common media content. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system and a method for identifying common media content which may be consumed by and/or may be experienced by a first user on a first terminal and a second user on a second terminal. The first terminal and the second terminal may be connected via a network for the first user and the second user to communicate during consumption of a multimedia file from the common media content. The first user may invite and/or may request the second user to participate in a shared viewing session of the multimedia file with the first user via the first terminal, the second terminal and/or the network. The second terminal may acquire and/or may obtain a version of the multimedia file from a network source for consumption during the shared viewing session between the first user and the second user. The multimedia file and the version of the multimedia file may be accessible and/or may be consumable by the first terminal and the second terminal, respectively, during the shared viewing session between the first user and the second user, respectively.
The second terminal may transmit and/or may send a first message to the first terminal via the network to signal and/or to indicate that the second terminal has access to a version of the multimedia file for consumption during the shared viewing session. The first terminal may display a list of common media content to the first user which may contain an indicator associated with the multimedia file and/or the second user. The indicator and/or the list of common media content may indicate to the first user that the second terminal may be prepared to consume and/or to display the version of the multimedia file to the second user. The first terminal and the second terminal may display the multimedia file and the version of the multimedia file, respectively, to the first user and the second user, respectively. As a result, the first user and the second user may consume and/or may experience the multimedia file and the version of the multimedia file, respectively, in the shared viewing session. A communication associated with the shared viewing session may be transmitted between the first terminal and the second terminal during the shared viewing session via the network.
It is generally known, for example, that two or more viewers desire to consume and/or to experience media programming with each other. Traditionally, the two or more viewers gather and/or meet at a first location to view and/or to consume the media programming via an output device for experiencing the media programming with each other. The output device is, typically, a television, a projector screen, a computer terminal or a monitor which is connected to a service provider for transmitting and/or for broadcasting the media programming to the output device. The first location may be, for example, a home, a school, a library, a conference room, an office and/or the like. The media programming is transmitted by, is accessible from and/or is provided from a service provider for transferring the media programming to an output device for the media programming to be consumed and/or to be experienced by the two or more viewers. Typically, the content provider may be, for example, a broadcast television station, a cable television station, a satellite television station and/or the like. As a result, the first location for allowing the media programming to be consumed and/or to be experienced by two or more viewers is stationary with respect to the service provider. Moreover, the viewers may discuss and/or may communicate with each other during the consumption of the media programming at the first location.
Traditionally, a first viewer and a second viewer consume and/or experience the media programming by sharing and/or by transmitting a digital multimedia file between a first computer terminal (hereinafter “the first terminal”) of the first viewer and a second computer terminal (hereinafter “the second terminal”) of the second viewer via a network. The first viewer may be remote with respect to the second viewer. The first computer terminal and the second computer terminal may use a computer application to transmit, to receive and/or to access the digital multimedia file of the media programming via the network. As a result, the first viewer may consume and/or may experience the media programming via the digital multimedia file of the first terminal at a first period of time. Additionally, the second viewer may consume and/or may experience the media programming via the digital multimedia file and/or the second terminal at a second period of time. Typically, the second period of time is different than the first period of time which prevents the first viewer and the second viewer from sharing in the consumption and/or in the experience of the media programming. Moreover, the first viewer and the second viewer of the media programming may be prevented from sharing one or more communications associated with the media programming during consumption of and/or during experiencing the media programming via the first terminal and the second terminal, respectively.
For example, sharing the digital multimedia file of the media programming between the first terminal and the second terminal may violate a copyright associated with the media programming. Further, the digital multimedia file of the media programming may be protected by digital rights management which may prevent sharing the digital multimedia file between the first terminal and the second terminal via the network. The digital rights management associated with the digital multimedia file may prevent the computer application from transmitting and/or from sharing the digital multimedia file between the first terminal and the second terminal. As a result, the second viewer may be prevented from consuming and/or experiencing the media programming by the digital rights management.
A format and/or a file size of the digital multimedia file may prevent the multimedia file from being shared and/or from being transmitted between the first terminal and the second terminal via the computer application and/or the network. Further, sharing the digital multimedia file between the first terminal and the second terminal via the computer application and/or the network may be inefficient and/or may be unsuccessful based on the format and/or the file size of the digital multimedia file. The second viewer may be prevented from consuming and/or from experiencing the media programming by the format and/or by the file size of the digital multimedia file. As a result, the first viewer and/or the second viewer may be prevented from sharing in the consumption of and/or in the experiencing of the media programming without consuming the media programming with a single computer terminal in a single location.
A need, therefore, exists for a system and a method for identifying and sharing an experience of common media content without sharing digital multimedia files. Additionally, a need exists for a system and a method for identifying common media content which may allow a first user and a second user which may be remote with respect to the first user to share consuming and/or experiencing the common media content. Further, a need exists for a system and a method for identifying common media content which may allow a first user and a second user to share consuming and/or experiencing the common media content via a first terminal and a second terminal, respectively, during a shared viewing session. Still further, a need exists for a system and a method for identifying common media content which may allow a first user and a second user to share consuming and experiencing the common media content via two or more remote terminals without violating a copyright associated with the common media content. Moreover, a need exists for a system and a method for identifying common media content which may allow users to share consuming and experiencing the common media content via two or more remote terminals without transferring the common media content between the two or more remote terminals. Furthermore, a need exists for a system and/or a method for identifying common media content which may allow two or more users to consume and/or to experience the common media content via two or more terminals at two or more locations over a network.